“Appropriate” for ACA to intervene is an gross understatement. Practitioners and consumers together better get ACA off their butts or there will be no coverage and a whole harder for amputees to survive with mobility, let alone dignity ! ACA’s $2.3 million in annual revenue could do a whole allot of advocating if………….they wanted too! Tony Barr
(Unhappy) Lifetime ACA Member
—– Original Message —–
From: “Joseph R. Alessi”
To: “Amputee Information Network”
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 4:08 PM
Subject: Re: Typical Politics
> Wayne,
>
> The change was made in the L Codes. To the best of my knowledge Gel
> Liners are still available through Medicare. The difference is that
> they are now billed by using three other codes. The only change I see
> is in the reimbursement to the practitioner. In stead of $1,340.00
> dollars it is now 900-something.
>
> 900-something still represents a substantial profit margin when you
> consider the cost to even a small shop is only $700.00 and all you
> need to do is open the box and screw on the bolt. This change should
> have no effect on the amputee/end user. Unless their practitioner
> refuses to accept the lower profit margin. In which case I suggest
> they go somewhere else.
>
> Taking this into consideration, is it appropriate for the ACA to
> intervene when in fact there is no significant change to the amputee?
> I suggest we leave it to the various O and P organizations to lobby on
> their own behalf.
>
> Speaking solely as an amputation survivor,
>
> Joseph R. Alessi
>
>
